New Beetle TDI Picture GalleryDo you have a New Beetle TDI? If so write a message here describing it and insert a picture if you have one. If you don't have one on the computer, email me and I'll give you my address and I'll scan it for you. If you need web space for it, email me as well. Please make a short yet descriptive title for your vehicle.

The Beetle blew its turbo a few months ago, which prompted me to begin a long-overdue engine rebuild. I just got it running last week and am currently tidying up loose ends and working with a friend to get the tuning aspect sorted out. It's good enough to daily-drive right now, and the potential in this build seems very promising.

Probably more than the car is worth, unfortunately. It's not really economically viable to produce bumpers this elaborate for other peoples' cars, but I can dump a ton of time and energy into my own stuff and justify it to myself as a learning experience. I don't think I'd be willing to build another front bumper/skidplate combo like this for less than $1200, for example. Hard sell in a world of $300 mass-produced Chinese Jeep bumpers.

The engine build, for anyone interested, has been holding up very well. Despite having gotten fairly deep into modifying engines in my past, I've never actually rebuilt a car engine before (just tons of powersport stuff - jet skis, lawnmowers, ATVs, scooters, sleds, etc.) This rebuild has clocked about 14,000 miles so far, and it's taken me out to Vegas for the SEMA show and to the top of Pike's Peak with little drama. There is still a lot of power to be coerced out of the tune, but I've been so swamped lately it's been difficult to set aside time to work on it.

Additionally, I performed some rust repairs on the car before my road trip to Vegas this year. I swapped the hood for a clean one and cut out the rocker panels, replacing them with .120-wall square profile steel, then finished them with UPOL Raptor and resprayed the rockers and quarterpanels. I have a ton of photos of the process, but I'm not even sure if any of these Photobucket links work anymore. Click here for a link to the public album on Facebook.